Animal training aids and toys

ABSTRACT

The invention provides an animal training aid or toy for use in scent based animal training or activities. The aid or toy comprises: a housing comprising an interior cavity configured to contain a scented material that releases substantially no scent that is desirable to the animal in an unactivated state and releases a scent that is desirable to the animal in an activated state; one or more vents on an external surface of the housing, each vent in communication with the interior cavity so that a scent from the scented material can be released from the interior cavity to the exterior of the housing where it can be detected by the animal; and an activator for activating the scented material from the unactivated state to the activated state, the activator being operable from the external surface of the housing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/906,134, filed Jan. 19, 2016 which is a U.S. national phase entry ofPCT/AU2015/000112, filed Feb. 27, 2015, which claims the benefit ofAustralian Provisional Patent Application No. 2014900641, filed on 27Feb. 2014, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporatedby reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a devices and systems for use in scentbased training and activities with an animal such as a dog.

BACKGROUND

Training of companion, hunting and working animals is commonplace.Training involves modifying the behaviour of an animal either to assistin specific activities or undertake particular tasks, or to participateeffectively in domestic life. For ease, further discussion herein willrelate to training of dogs. However, it will be appreciated that thematters discussed could also be used or applied to the training of otheranimals.

Dogs are able to learn by classical conditioning in which they form anassociation between two stimuli, by non-associative learning wherebytheir behaviour is modified through habituation or sensitisation, or byoperant conditioning whereby they associate a behaviour with aconsequence.

There are a variety of established methods of dog training. Some of thebetter known are the Koehler method, clicker training, dominance-basedtraining, and relationship-based training. The common characteristics ofsuccessful methods are knowing the dog's attributes and personality,accurate timing of reinforcement and/or punishment and consistentcommunication.

Dogs have an acute sense of smell and, therefore, scents can be used aspart of a dog training program to lure the dog toward an object orperson, or to reward the dog for a particular behaviour. For thisreason, scent based dog training devices and toys are known. U.S. Pat.No. 6,531,145 discloses silica gel beads that conveniently release scentfor use in training dogs to hunt using scent. Chew toys have beendisclosed that contain a scent component in their manufacture to makethem more attractive to dogs. One example is U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,741, ascented chew toy that allows the scented material to be inserted withinthe body of the chew toy during manufacture.

Other than for training, scents can also be used to pacify or rewardanimals.

A problem with many known scent based training aids and toys is thescent is not renewable and, as a consequence, the scent based aspect ofthe aid or toy has a limited life. There is a need for a training aid ortoy in which the scent is replaceable. There is also a need for atraining aid or toy in which the user can control how much scent isreleased from the aid or toy and/or when the scent is released from theaid or toy.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect, there is provided an animal training aid ortoy comprising:

-   -   a housing comprising an interior cavity configured to contain a        scented material;    -   one or more vents on an external surface of the housing, each        vent in communication with the interior cavity so that a scent        from the scented material can be released from the interior        cavity to the exterior of the housing; and    -   means for controlling the amount of scent released from the        scented material.

The means for controlling the amount of scent released from the scentedmaterial may be an activator for activating the scented material from anexternal surface of the housing.

Thus, according to a second aspect, there is provided an animal trainingaid or toy comprising:

-   -   a housing comprising an interior cavity configured to contain a        scented material that releases substantially no scent that is        desirable to the animal in an unactivated state and releases a        scent that is desirable to the animal in an activated state;    -   one or more vents on an external surface of the housing, each        vent in communication with the interior cavity so that a scent        from the scented material can be released from the interior        cavity to the exterior of the housing where it can be detected        by the animal; and    -   an activator for activating the scented material from the        unactivated state to the activated state, the activator being        operable from the external surface of the housing.

In certain embodiments, the animal training aid or toy further comprisesattachment means for removably attaching the housing to a substrate ordevice such as a wrist band or toy.

In certain embodiments, the housing comprises a plurality of housingparts that are separable from one another to allow the scented materialto be introduced or removed from the interior cavity.

In certain embodiments, the scented material is a solid having a liquidscent imbibed therein or thereon. The solid may be in the form of adisc.

According to a second aspect, there is provided a method for traininganimals using primary reinforcement to reinforce desired animalbehaviour, the method comprising: providing an animal training aid ortoy in accordance with the second aspect of the invention; activatingthe scented material in the aid or toy; and providing a reward to theanimal simultaneously with, or immediately following, a desiredbehaviour by providing the animal with the aid or toy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will be discussed with reference tothe accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an animal training aid or toy inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of an animal training aid or toy inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded isometric view of an animal training aid or toy inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view from one end of an animal training aid or toy inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view from another end of an animal training aid or toyin accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a side view of an animal training aid or toy in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross section view through A-A of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a plan view from an end of an animal training aid or toy inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a cross section view through A-A of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a side view of an animal training aid or toy in accordancewith a further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is an isometric view of an animal training aid or toy inaccordance with the further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12 is a plan view from the top of an animal training aid or toy inaccordance with the further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a cross section view through A-A of FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a cross section view through D-D of FIG. 10;

FIG. 15 is an isometric view of an animal training aid or toy inaccordance with the further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 16 is a plan view from below of an animal training aid or toy inaccordance with the further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 17 is an exploded isometric view of two housing parts of an animaltraining aid or toy in accordance with the further embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 18 is a plan view from the top of a housing part of an animaltraining aid or toy in accordance with the further embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 19 is a cross section view through A-A of FIG. 16;

FIG. 20 is a cross section view through D-D of FIG. 16;

FIG. 21 is an exploded isometric view of an animal training aid or toyin accordance with the further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 22 is a side view of an animal training aid or toy in accordancewith another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 23 is a plan view of an animal training aid or toy in accordancewith the other embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 24 is an isometric view of an animal training aid or toy inaccordance with the other embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 25 is a cross section view of part of an animal training aid or toyin accordance with the other embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 26 is an exploded isometric view of an animal training aid or toyin accordance with a still further embodiment of the invention.

In the following description, like reference characters designate likeor corresponding parts throughout the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 to 9 show an embodiment of an animal training aid or toy 10 inaccordance with the invention. FIGS. 10 to 21 show a further embodimentof an animal training aid or toy 10 in accordance with the invention.Another embodiment of an animal training aid or toy 10 in accordancewith the invention is shown in FIGS. 22 to 25, and still a furtherembodiment of an animal training aid or toy 10 in accordance with theinvention is shown in FIG. 26.

The animal training aid or toy 10 is suitable for use in scent basedanimal training or activities. The scent may be a scent that isdesirable to an animal such that the training aid can be used in rewardbased training or the toy can be used in general activities with theanimal. The scent could also be a scent that pacifies or soothes ananimal in which case the toy 10 could be used in bedding or similar orcould be used as a training aid to assist in pacifying an animal.

The animal training aid or toy 10 comprises a housing 12 comprising aninterior cavity 14 configured to contain a scented material. The aid ortoy 10 also comprises one or more vents 18 on an external surface 20 ofthe housing 12. Each vent 18 is in communication with the interiorcavity 14 so that a scent from the scented material can be released fromthe interior cavity to the exterior of the housing. The device alsocomprises means 22 for controlling the amount of scent released from thescented material.

The aid or toy 10 comprises a housing 12 comprising an interior cavity14 (best seen in FIGS. 7, 13, 14 and 25) configured to contain a scentedmaterial 16. The scented material 16 releases substantially no scentthat is desirable to the animal in an unactivated state and releases ascent that is desirable to the animal in an activated state. As usedherein, the term “releases substantially no scent that is desirable tothe animal in an unactivated state” does not mean that the scentedmaterial releases no scent detectable by the animal in the activatedstate. Rather, in the activated state substantially more scent isreleased from the scented material than in the unactivated state. Forexample, in embodiments that are described in more detail later, thescented material 16 comprises scent that is microencapsulated anddeposited on a substrate surface. In practice, some of themicroencapsulated particles may be disrupted when the scented material16 is placed in the interior cavity 14. However, substantially morescent is subsequently released when the scented material 16 isactivated. The scented material 16 is fixed in the interior cavity 14and is not released from the interior cavity 14 during the normal courseof animal activity with the aid or toy 10.

The aid or toy 10 also comprises one or more vents 18 open to anexterior surface 20 of the housing. Each vent 18 is in communicationwith the interior cavity 14 so that a scent from the scented material 16can be released from the interior cavity 14 to the exterior of thehousing 12 where it can be detected by the animal. Whilst in theillustrated embodiments the vents 18 are in the form of paths or boresthat are specifically provided for the purpose of allowing scent fromthe scented material to be released from the interior cavity to theexterior of the housing, the vent(s) 18 could be any form of opening,gap, aperture or similar that provides a path for the scent to pass fromthe interior cavity 14 to the exterior of the housing 12. For example,the vents 18 may be in the form of a gap between two parts of the aid ortoy 10. It will be appreciated that only a very small gap is required toallow volatile components of the scented material 16 to exit from theinterior cavity 14. It is contemplated that the vents may be normallyclosed when the aid or toy 10 is in its normal state but may be openedwhen an animal or user changes the configuration of the aid or toy 10,such as by chewing the aid or toy.

The aid or toy 10 also comprises an activator 22 (best seen in FIGS. 3and 17 to 20) for activating the scented material 16 from theunactivated state to the activated state, the activator 22 beingoperable from the external surface 20 of the housing 12. The activator22 can be any device or form that is capable of physically disruptingthe scented material 16 so that scent is released thereform. In theillustrated embodiments, the activator 22 is generally in the form ofribs that contact the surface of a solid scented material 16 to disruptthe surface thereof and allow volatile scents to be released or toincrease the amount of volatile scents released. In other forms, theactivator is can be used to pierce or crush a capsule containing aliquid scented material 16 so that the capsule is opened and the scentedliquid or oil is released therefrom. In still other forms, the activatormay be in the form of protrusions, extensions, needles, and the like inor adjacent the interior cavity 14 that are able to physically disruptthe scented material 16 when an external stimulus, such as an animalbiting or a user squeezing, is applied to the aid or toy 10 to therebyallow volatile scents to be released or to increase the amount ofvolatile scents released.

The aid or toy 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 21 and 26 is generally in theshape of a ball and can be used as a stand-alone toy for ball-typeactivities with an animal. The aid or toy 10 shown in FIGS. 22 to 25 isin the form of two balls each of which can be attached to a substrate ordevice as described in more detail later. It is contemplated that theaid or toy 10 can take any shape desired. The shape of the aid or toy 10may be dictated by the end use of the aid or toy and, in cases where theaid or toy 10 is specifically used as an aid for attachment to a wristband for example, the aid 10 may be in the form of a small, circular,low-profile container.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 9, the housing 12 is aunitary construction and comprises a central bore 24 that extends fromthe exterior surface 20 at one area of the ball to the exterior surface20 at another area of the ball. In the illustrated embodiments, the bore24 extends diametrically through the housing 12. In these embodiments,the exterior surface 20 of the housing 12 comprises a plurality ofridges 26 and valleys 28 that assist a handler or the animal withgripping the aid or toy 10. Other decorative or functional forms couldbe included on the exterior surface 20.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 9, the toy 10 also comprisesa plug and cap assembly 30 that fits into the central bore 24 and isused to retain the scented material 16 in the interior cavity 14 in thecentral bore 24. The plug and cap assembly 30 comprises a plug 32 and acap 34. The plug 32 and cap 34 are configured to reversibly fittogether. In an assembled form, the plug 32 and cap 34 together form aninterior cavity 14 into which the scented material 16 is fitted.

In use, the plug and cap assembly 30 is retained in the central bore 24by a retainer 36. Details of the retainer 36 are best seen in FIGS. 7and 8, where it can be seen that the central bore 24 comprises a reduceddiameter annular flange 38 in the bore 24. The flange 38 defines areduced diameter aperture 40 in the bore. The diameter of the aperture40 is less than the mean or average internal diameter of the centralbore 24. The reduced diameter annular flange 38 is used to retain theplug and cap assembly 30 in the central bore 24 when the toy 10 is inuse. Specifically, the annular flange 38 retains the plug and capassembly 30 using a “lock and key” system. The annular flange 38comprises one or more slots 42 that extend radially outwardly in theflange 38. As best seen in FIG. 8, in the illustrated embodiment thereare two slots 42 but the skilled person will appreciate that any numberof slots 42 (i.e. one or more) could be used. The plug 32 comprises agenerally elongate body 44 and larger diameter first 46 and second 48end sections. The body 44 comprises two wall sections 50, each of whichextends radially outwardly from the body 44. The wall sections 50 extendfrom an underside surface 52 of the first end section 46 longitudinallyalong the body 44 but do not extend all the way to the second endsection 48. Thus, there is a reduced diameter section 54 of the body 44adjacent the second end section 48. In use, the plug 32 is inserted inthe central bore 24 until a bearing surface 56 at the end of each of thewall sections 50 bears against the flange 38. At this point the plug 32is housed entirely within the central bore 24. The diameter of the firstend section 46 of the plug 32 is slightly less than the diameter of thecentral bore 24 so that when the plug 32 is housed within the bore 24the first end section effectively closes off the bore 24 when viewedfrom the surface of the toy 10, as shown in FIG. 5. The plug 32 can berotated freely within the bore 24 in this configuration.

The plug 32 can be rotated within the bore 24 to a position in which thewall sections 50 are aligned or coincident with the slots 42. In thisposition, the first end section 46 can be pushed further into the bore24 with the wall sections 50 travelling within slots 42. As the firstend section 46 is pushed further into the bore 24, the second endsection 48 emerges from the bore 24 at the opposing end of the bore 24.This then allows physical access to the second end section 48 of theplug 32 when the plug 32 is housed in the bore 24. To assist a user inrotating the plug 32 within the bore 24, the first end section containsa handle 58 that protrudes from an external surface 60 of the first endsection 46. A user can grip the handle 58 between their thumb andforefinger to rotate the plug 32 within the bore 24. To enable a user toknow when the wall sections 50 are aligned with the slots 42, theexternal surface 60 of the first end section 46 and the exterior surface20 of the housing 12 contain indicia 62 to indicate when the wallsections 50 are aligned with the slots 42.

When the second end section 48 of the plug 32 extends from the bore 24the plug and cap assembly 30 can be assembled and disassembled byfitting or removing the cap 34 from the second end section 48. The cap34 comprises a base 64 and a retaining flange 66 extending from one faceof the base 64. The retaining flange 66 is arcuate in cross section andis shaped so that the second end section 48 of the plug 32 is able tofit into the cap 34 such that it is positioned adjacent the face of thebase 64 from which the flange 66 extends. A free edge section 68 of theretaining flange 66 has a smaller diameter than the diameter of thesecond end section 48 so that, when assembled, the free edge section 68bears against a surface 70 of the second end section 48 so that the cap34 cannot be removed from the plug 32 by applying a longitudinal forcein the direction of the longitudinal axis of the plug 32. In otherwords, the cap 34 is fitted and removed from the plug 32 by movingtoward or away from the second end section 48 in a direction that issubstantially lateral to a longitudinal axis of the plug 32. Once thecap 34 is fitted to the plug 32, the plug and cap assembly 30 can bepushed back into the bore 24 so that the entire plug and cap assembly 30is housed in the bore 24. In this configuration, the cap 34 cannot beremoved from the plug 32 because movement of the cap 34 laterally to alongitudinal axis of the plug is prevented because the cap 32 is housedin the bore 24.

In the illustrated embodiments, the cap 34 is generally circular incross section and the retaining flange 66 is semi-circular. There is agap 72 in the retaining flange through which the second end section 48of the plug 32 passes when the cap 34 is fitted or removed from the plug32.

As best seen in FIG. 7, the plug and cap assembly 30 forms the interiorcavity 14 in which the scented material 16 is located. The cap 34comprises vents 18. The vents are in the form of notches in theperiphery of the cap. The vents 18 allow scents from the scentedmaterial 16 to be released to the exterior of the toy 10 when thescented material 16 is activated.

It will be appreciated that other forms and configurations of plug 32and cap 34 could also be used provided they are not able to bedisassembled when the plug and cap assembly 30 is housed in the bore 24.

Optionally, the base 64 of the cap 34 may be transparent and this allowsa user to see whether scented material 16 is present in the interiorcavity 14 without having to disassemble the toy 10. A transparent base64 also allows a user to read any indicia or writing on the scentedmaterial 16 which may, for example, identify the scent (e.g. beef, fish,etc) on the scented material 16.

Optionally, the plug 32 may contain an extension (not shown) thatprotrudes from the first end section 46 and extends from the aid or toy10 when the plug and cap assembly 30 is housed in the bore 24. Theextension may be used to attach the aid or toy 10

The scented material 16 may be a liquid scent, such as an oily scent, ora solid having a liquid scent imbibed therein or thereon. In theillustrated embodiments, the scented material 16 is a solid and is inthe form of a scented disc 74 having a scented liquid or oil imbibedtherein or thereon. The scented liquid or oil is microencapsulated andthe microencapsulated particles are then applied to the surface of thedisc 74. In an unactivated state, most of the microencapsulatedparticles are intact and substantially no scent (as previously defined)is released from the disc 74. Upon activation, a substantial number ofthe microencapsulated particles are broken or otherwise disrupted sothat the scented oil or liquid contained therein is exposed and thevolatile scent components are released. The disc 74 can be made from anabsorbent material that is porous enough to absorb a liquid or oilyscent. Many absorbent materials can be used, including cardboard, card,ceramics, zeolites, porous plastics, foams and sponges. Recycled,biodegradable card stock is a particularly suitable porous material forthis purpose. The scent may be any liquid or oily material that containsa scent that is attractive to the animal For dogs, chicken, beef, bacon,ham or salmon scents can be used. Other scents such as pheromones andother materials that sooth or pacify animals could also be used. Thesescents are available commercially.

The scented disc 74 can be positioned in the interior cavity 14. Thescent is imbibed internally in the disc 74 which has a thin outercoating that prevents release of a scent from the disc 74 until it hasbeen activated by removing at least part of the outer coating. Thescented disc 74 is activated by the activator 22 which, in theembodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 9 is in the form of one or moreribs 76 (best seen in FIG. 3) that protrude from the end surface 70 ofthe second end section 48 of the plug 32. Rotation of the plug 32 usingthe handle 58 results in the rib(s) 76 abrading the surface of the disc74 to remove at least some of the outer coating thereon to therebyactivate the disc 74 so that the imbibed scent is released therefrom.

Advantageously, the cap 34 may also be used on other devices such asleads, wrist bands, blankets, bedding, etc. For example, the aid or toy10 could be incorporated into an animal's bedding. In another example,the other devices may comprise a protrusion that is in the same form asthe second end section 48 of the plug 32. In use, the scented material16 may be placed in the cap 34 and the cap attached to the protrusion onthe device. This allows for the cap 34 to be used with a range ofdevices.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 21, the housing 12comprises a plurality of housing parts 12 a and 12 b that are separablefrom one another to allow the scented material 16 to be introduced orremoved from the interior cavity 14. In these embodiments, the housing10 comprises two substantially hemispherical housing parts 12 a and 12b. Each housing part 12 a and 12 b comprises a central bore 24 thatextends from the exterior surface 20 to the interior cavity 14. In theseembodiments, the exterior surface 20 of the housing parts 12 a and 12 bcomprises a plurality of domed protrusions 80 that assist a handler orthe animal with gripping the aid or toy 10. Other decorative orfunctional forms could be included on the exterior surface. In theembodiments shown in FIGS. 22 to 25, the exterior surface 20 of thehousing parts 12 a and 12 b is substantially smooth.

The aid or toy 10 also comprises a retainer 82 for holding the twohousing parts 12 a and 12 b together. The retainer 82 comprises tworetainer parts 82 a and 82 b. One of the retainer parts 82 a comprises amale threaded section 84 and the other retainer part 82 b comprises afemale threaded section 86. The retainer parts 82 a and 82 b can befitted into the bore 24 in respective housing parts 12 a and 12 b. Themale threaded section 84 can be threaded into the female threadedsection 86 to retain the housing parts 12 a and 12 b together to formthe assembled aid or toy 10 and unthreaded from one another to provideaccess to the interior cavity 14. The bores 24 are tapered inwardly fromthe exterior surface 20 toward the interior cavity 14 and each retainerpart 82 a and 82 b has a taper that is substantially complementary tothe taper of the bores 24. At least one of the retainer parts 82 a and82 b is also keyed to the corresponding bore 24 of the housing part 12 aor 12 b to prevent rotation between the retainer part 82 a/82 b and thehousing part 12 a/12 b. Specifically, as seen in FIGS. 14 and 19-21 theretainer part 82 b comprises at least one longitudinal protrusion 88extending from an external surface 90 and at least one correspondinglongitudinal recess 92 formed on an internal surface 94 of the bore 24in housing part 12 b. The protrusion 88 and recess 92 are substantiallycomplementary in shape and size with respect to one another such thatthe protrusion 88 can be fitted in to the recess 92 to form a keyedarrangement between the retainer part 82 b and housing part 12 b orbetween the retainer part 82 b and housing part 12 b and prevent mutualrotation between respective retainer parts 82 a/82 b and housing parts12 a/12 b.

In other embodiments that are illustrated in FIG. 26, the retainer 82for holding the two housing parts 12 a and 12 b together is in the formof clips 96. The clips 96 comprise hook members 98 extending fromhousing parts 12 a and 12 b. The hook members 98 each comprise a post100 and a hook portion 102. The hook portion 102 comprises a slopedsurface 104 and a retaining surface 106. A central joiner ring 108comprises cavities 110 into which the hook portion 102 of each hookmember 98 fits when the two housing parts 12 a and 12 b are fittedtogether with the central joiner ring 108 in between. Each post 100 isresiliently flexible so that when the two housing parts 12 a and 12 bare brought into engagement with the central joiner ring 108 a surfaceof each cavity 110 bears on the sloped surface 104 of a respective hookmember 98, resulting in the hook members 98 flexing toward one anotherto allow entry of each hook portion 102 into the respective cavity 110.When the hook portion 102 is fully inserted into cavity 110 the hookmembers 98 snap back into their original position and the retainingsurface 106 of each hook member 98 bears against a ridge 112 in thecavity 110 to lock the housing parts 12 a and 12 b together.

In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 25, the interior cavity 14is formed by two arcuate internal surfaces 114 a and 114 b on thehousing parts 12 a and 12 b when the housing 12 is assembled. A scentedmaterial retainer 116 is positioned between the two housing parts 12 aand 12 b. The scented material retainer 116 is plate like and generallycircular in cross section and has a plurality of peripheral cut outs 118extending radially inwardly from the periphery. When the aid or toy isassembled the cut outs 118 provide further vents 18 through which ascent from the scented material 16 can be released from the interiorcavity 14 to the exterior of the housing 12. The scented materialretainer 116 also comprises a central aperture 120 through which theretainer parts 82 a and 82 b pass when the aid or toy 10 is assembled. Ascented disc 74 can be positioned in a disc receiving depression 122formed in one face of the scented material retainer 116. The discreceiving depression 122 has the same general shape as the scentedannular disc 74.

A peripheral edge 124 of each of the housing parts 12 a and 12 bcontacts the periphery of the scented material retainer 116 when thehousing 12 is assembled to effectively seal the periphery of the twohousing parts 12 a and 12 b. The vents 18 are open to the interiorcavity 14 and the exterior of the housing 12 to allow passage of a scentfrom the scented material 16 from the interior cavity 14 to the outsideof the aid or toy 10.

As described previously, the scented material 16 may be a liquid scent,such as an oily scent, or a solid having a liquid scent imbibed thereinor thereon. In the illustrated embodiments, the scented material 16 is asolid and is in the form of a scented disc 74 having a scented liquid oroil imbibed therein or thereon, as previously described.

The scented disc 74 can be positioned in the interior cavity 14 with theretainer parts 82 a and 82 b passing through a central aperture 126 inthe scented disc 74. The scent is imbibed internally in the disc 74which has a thin outer coating that prevents release of a scent from thedisc 74 until it has been activated by removing at least part of theouter coating. The scented annular disc 74 is activated by the activator22 which, in the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 25 is in theform of one or more ribs 128 (best seen in FIGS. 17 to 21) that protrudefrom at least one of the internal surfaces 114 a or 114 b. The rib(s)128 contact at least one surface of the disc 74 when the housing 12 isassembled and rotation of one of the housing parts 12 a relative to theother one 12 b results in the rib(s) 128 abrading the surface of thedisc 74 to remove at least some of the outer coating thereon to therebyactivate the disc 74 so that the imbibed scent is released therefrom.The periphery of the disc 74 has a key section 130 which extendsradially from the periphery. The disc receiving depression 122 on thescented material retainer 116 has a key section 132 which iscomplementary in shape to the key section 130 on the disc 74. To installa disc 74 into the aid or toy 10, the housing parts 12 a and 12 b areseparated from one another and a disc 74 is positioned on the scentedmaterial retainer 116 so that the key section 130 fits in to the keysection 132. In this way, the disc 74 is unable to rotate relative tothe scented material retainer 116. The male threaded section 84 ofretainer part 82 a is inserted into the apertures 120 and 126.

In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 22 to 25, the aperture 126 inthe scented disc 74 has key cut out sections (not shown) which key toprotrusions (not shown) on the retainer part 82 a to prevent rotation ofthe disc 74 relative to the retainer part 82 b. Thus, an alternativeform of keyed arrangement is formed between the retainer part 82 a andthe disc 74 which prevents the latter from rotating relative to theretainer part 82 a and, hence, the housing part 12 a.

In other embodiments that are not illustrated, the scented material 16may be in the form of a capsule containing a scented liquid or oil. Thecapsule can be placed in the interior cavity 14 of the aid or toy 10.The activator 22 can then be used to pierce or crush the capsule so thatthe capsule is opened and the scented liquid or oil is releasedtherefrom. For example, one or both of the housing parts 12 a and 12 bor the cap 34 may be elastically deformable so that it can be depressedto activate the capsule in the interior cavity 14. In these embodiments,the interior cavity 14 may contain an absorbent material, such as asponge material, onto which the liquid scented material is or can beabsorbed.

In some embodiments, the aid or toy 10 further comprises attachmentmeans 134 for removably attaching the housing 12 to a substrate ordevice 136 such as a wrist band, lead, toy or similar. These embodimentsprovide a modular system in which a single housing 12 can be attachedand removed from a range of training aids (e.g. wrist band or lead)and/or toys (e.g. bone or toy animal). The attachment means 134 may bein the form of a key and slot arrangement with a slot on the housing 12and a corresponding key on the device 136, or vice versa.

In embodiments that are shown in FIGS. 22 to 25, the aid or toy 10 canbe attached to a substrate or device 136 such as a larger toy ortraining aid. Illustrated is a device 136 in the general shape of abone. Ends 138 of the device 136 are flattened and circular and comprisea central aperture 140. The aid or toy 10 illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 21can be attached to the ends 138 to form a training aid or toy in theform of a scented bone. In the illustrated embodiments, the aid or toy10 attached to the ends 138 is similar to the aid or toy 10 shown inFIGS. 10 to 21 but has a substantially smooth exterior surface 20. Aswith the aid or toy 10 shown in FIGS. 10 to 21, the ball part of the aidor toy 10 shown in FIGS. 22 to 25 comprises housing parts 12 a and 12 bthat can be separated from one another and the male threaded section 84of the retainer part 82 a inserted through the aperture 140 and thecorresponding housing part 12 a can then be threaded into the femalethreaded section 86, as described earlier. In this way, the aid or toy10 can be attached to the device 136. The device 136 can be any shapeand could, for example, be a lead having a flattened section with anaperture through which the aid or toy 10 can be attached as justdescribed.

In embodiments that are not illustrated, the one or more vent(s) 18 canbe opened and closed such that when the vent(s) 18 are open the scentfrom the scented material is released from the interior cavity 14 to theexterior of the housing 12 and when the vent(s) 18 are closed the scentis substantially contained within the interior cavity 14.

According to a second aspect, there is provided a method for traininganimals using primary reinforcement to reinforce desired animalbehaviour, the method comprising: providing an animal training aid ortoy in accordance with the present invention; activating the scentedmaterial in the aid or toy; and providing a reward to the animalsimultaneously with, or immediately following, a desired behaviour byproviding the animal with the aid or toy.

Throughout the specification and the claims that follow, unless thecontext requires otherwise, the words “comprise” and “include” andvariations such as “comprising” and “including” will be understood toimply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers, but notthe exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and shouldnot be taken as, an acknowledgement of any form of suggestion that suchprior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention isnot restricted in its use to the particular application described.Neither is the present invention restricted in its preferred embodimentwith regard to the particular elements and/or features described ordepicted herein. It will be appreciated that the invention is notlimited to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed, but is capable ofnumerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention as set forth and defined bythe following claims.

1. A scent disk, comprising: a disk-shaped cardboard substrate; aplurality of rupturable microcapsules disposed on the disk-shapedcardboard substrate, each of the rupturable microcapsules encapsulatinga liquid or oily material containing a volatile scent; and an outercoating covering the plurality of rupturable microcapsules, wherein theouter coating is abradable to remove selected portions of the outercoating and rupture selected rupturable microcapsules, thereby releasingthe volatile scent from the ruptured microcapsules.
 2. The scent disk ofclaim 1, wherein the disk-shaped cardboard substrate is annular.
 3. Thescent disk of claim 1, wherein the cardboard substrate has a radialaxis, a central through-opening, and a plurality of concave edges thatdefine the perimeter of the cardboard substrate, and the centralthrough-opening is spaced apart from each of the concave edges in theplurality of concave edges along the radial axis.
 4. The scent disk ofclaim 1, wherein the cardboard substrate has a radial axis, a centralthrough-opening, a first perimeter section, and a second perimetersection, and the second perimeter section comprises a key section thatprojects away from the first perimeter section and the centralthrough-opening along the radial axis.
 5. The scent disk of claim 1,wherein the volatile scent is attractive to selected animals.
 6. Thescent disk of claim 5, wherein the selected animals are dogs.
 7. Thescent disk of claim 6, wherein the scent is one selected from the groupconsisting of chicken, beef, bacon, ham, and salmon.
 8. The scent diskof claim 1, wherein the volatile scent is a pheromone.
 9. A scent disk,comprising: a disk-shaped absorbent substrate; a plurality of rupturablemicrocapsules disposed on the disk-shaped absorbent substrate, each ofthe rupturable microcapsules encapsulating a liquid or oily materialcontaining a volatile scent that is attractive to selected animals; andan outer coating covering the plurality of rupturable microcapsules,wherein the outer coating is abradable to remove selected portions ofthe outer coating and rupture selected rupturable microcapsules, therebyreleasing the volatile scent from the ruptured microcapsules.
 10. Thescent disk of claim 9, wherein the disk-shaped absorbent substrate isannular.
 11. The scent disk of claim 9, wherein the absorbent substratecomprises one selected from the group consisting of cardboard, card,ceramics, zeolites, porous plastics, foams, and sponges.
 12. The scentdisk of claim 9, wherein the substrate has a radial axis, a centralthrough-opening, and a plurality of concave edges that define theperimeter of the cardboard substrate, and the central through-opening isspaced apart from each of the concave edges in the plurality of concaveedges along the radial axis.
 13. The scent disk of claim 9, wherein thesubstrate has a radial axis, a central through-opening, a firstperimeter section, and a second perimeter section, and the secondperimeter section comprises a key section that projects away from thefirst perimeter section and the central through-opening along the radialaxis.
 14. The scent disk of claim 9, wherein the selected animals aredogs.
 15. The scent disk of claim 14, wherein the scent is one selectedfrom the group consisting of chicken, beef, bacon, ham, and salmon. 16.The scent disk of claim 9, wherein the scent is a pheromone.